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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- The Seattle Mariners are doing just fine without
Junior.
Mike Cameron, one of the players acquired in the Ken Griffey Jr. trade, supplied the speed, unnerving his former team with a key
stolen base.
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GAME 1 AT A GLANCE
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Every game a hero
Brett Tomko and Jose Paniagua pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, but Edgar Martinez's two-run homer in the 10th inning to break a 4-4 tie makes him the star of the game.
Key number
145 -- Martinez's AL-leading RBI total.
Key move
After Charles Johnson led off the bottom of the ninth with a bloop single off Paniagua, Ray Durham sacrificed against Arthur Rhodes and Jose Valentin flied out. With Frank Thomas up, Lou Piniella summoned from the bullpen ... no, not Kazuhiro Sasaski, but Jose Mesa, who had been shelled in his final two outings of the year. It seemed like a bad move, but after Thomas was intentionally walked, Mesa got Magglio Ordonez to fly to right.
ESPN analysis
It was surprising how much good defense there was throughout. The White Sox had two great plays by Ordonez and two really extraordinary plays by Durham. For the Mariners, Mike Cameron made a couple really good plays. It set a tone for the series: Bring your mitts, this isn't just going to be a slugfest.
-- Peter Gammons
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And the Mariners' old reliable, Edgar Martinez, and John Olerud
added the power in the 10th inning as Seattle beat the Chicago
White Sox 7-4 in the opener of their AL playoff series Tuesday
night.
Martinez hit a two-run homer right after Cameron's steal -- which
followed a rare on-the-field meeting with manager Lou Piniella at
first base.
After Martinez's shot cleared the left field wall, Olerud
followed with a solo homer.
What was Piniella doing coming to first to talk with his
baserunner?
"He said, 'Relax,' " Cameron said. "Whatever he told me, it
worked. The only time you see that is Little League.
"I can't tell you exactly what he said. It's a secret we have
to keep under the sheets. I guess it was a moment of truth. He
wanted to shore things up and make sure I was comfortable."
The consecutive homers came off Chicago relief ace Keith Foulke,
who'd surrendered just nine home runs in 88 innings all season.
Martinez said Cameron's stolen base changed his approach.
"When Mike was at second, I tried to make contact and make my
swing a little shorter," Martinez said. "By him being at second,
I was able to wait more for the pitch and make a better swing."
Cameron, traded away by the White Sox two years ago to
Cincinnati and acquired by the Mariners in the Griffey deal this
February, singled in the tying run in the seventh.
He singled again to start the 10th. Alex Rodriguez popped out
before Cameron, once projected as Chicago's next star, was nearly
picked off first.
At that point, Piniella came out of the dugout and talked to
Cameron. After a pitchout, Cameron stole second.
|  | | Edgar Martinez is met by Mike Cameron at home plate after hitting a two-run homer in the 10th that ultimately beat the Sox. |
"I told him the Nasdaq was down 113 points and Cisco was a heck
of a buy," Piniella said, refusing to divulge his on-field advice.
"That's the first time I've ever seen that. But whatever he told
him, evidently it worked," Chicago second baseman Ray Durham said.
Martinez, who led the AL with 145 RBI and had a career-high 37
homers, hit a two-run homer to left field to silence a crowd of
45,290 that came to see the White Sox's first playoff appearance in
seven years. Olerud followed with a long shot to center.
Jose Mesa, who escaped a jam in the White Sox ninth, was the
winning pitcher and Kazuhiro Sasaki pitched the 10th for the save.
Foulke took the loss.
"Walking off the mound wasn't the difficult part. Giving up the
home run to Edgar was the difficult part," Foulke said. "It was a
bad changeup."
Game 2 in the best-of-5 series will be Wednesday at Chicago.
Seattle won eight of its final nine road games in the regular
season, including a win over Anaheim on the last day to clinch the
wild card.
The White Sox, who led the majors in scoring and had the best
record in the American League, stranded 10 runners.
Charles Johnson, the only White Sox player with a World Series
ring, led off the bottom of the ninth with a bloop single. Two outs
later, Mesa intentionally walked Thomas and retired Magglio Ordonez
on a fly ball with runners at first and second.
Foulke, who saved 34 games this season, had given up just one
run in his previous 14 2/3 innings of the regular season.
Cameron hit a two-out, bases-loaded single in the seventh to tie
it at 4. David Bell was thrown out by right fielder Ordonez trying
to score from second on the hit, ending the inning.
"I'm just glad we're in the playoffs. We're playing the White
Sox, the team I used to play for," Cameron said. "I want to win
against them like I would anybody else."
Durham homered and Chris Singleton and Ordonez had RBI triples
as the White Sox took a 4-3 lead after falling behind early 3-0.
Durham's homer to left-center off Freddy Garcia tied the game in
the third.
Chicago loaded the bases in the fourth to drive out Garcia
before reliever Brett Tomko retired Jose Valentin and Thomas on
short fly balls. It was that kind of day for the White Sox, who
couldn't get the big hit when they needed it.
The Mariners jumped on Chicago starter Jim Parque for a pair of
first-inning runs. Rickey Henderson grounded a single to right
leading off. Cameron was hit by a pitch and Rodriguez -- who had
three hits -- dropped a soft single to right for a 1-0 lead.
Olerud's grounder made it 2-0. Joe Oliver homered leading off
the second for a 3-0 lead.
But the White Sox, who scored 978 runs during the season got two
back in the bottom half, thanks to the speed of Singleton.
Paul Konerko walked and out out later Singleton hit a line drive
to right that went over Jay Buhner's head as he was falling down
for a triple.
When Garcia threw a wild pitch between Oliver's legs, Singleton
raced home as Oliver fumbled the ball trying to relay it to Garcia
who was covering the plate.
Seattle jumped on reliever Bob Howry in the seventh, loading the
bases on Bell's double and two walks. Cameron, the White Sox's
18th-round pick in the 1991 draft, greeted Chad Bradford with a
tying single before Ordonez made his strong throw to the plate.
Game notes
The White Sox have five players on their roster with
previous playoff experience and they're all position players. The
Mariners have 13 who have been in the playoffs before, including
four pitchers. ... Mike Sirotka and Seattle's Paul Abbott will
start Game 2.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Chi. White Sox Clubhouse
ChiSox: Lot of jabs, no knockout punch
RECAPS
Seattle 7
Chi. White Sox 4
Oakland 5
NY Yankees 3
St. Louis 7
Atlanta 5
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Seattle postgame news conference.
RealVideo: | 28.8
 Edgar Martinez talks about his two-run homer in the 10th inning.
wav: 180 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Chicago's Keith Foulke talks about giving up the 10th inning homer to Edgar Martinez.
wav: 136 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Brian McRae tells how important Seattle's bullpen was in Game 1.
wav: 515 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
John Olerud credits the Mariners' bullpen.
wav: 110 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Alex Rodriguez talks about the hitting prowess of Edgar Martinez.
wav: 152 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jerry Manuel isn't worried yet.
wav: 83 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Rick Sutcliffe knows what Lou Piniella told Mike Cameron at first base.
wav: 216 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
John Olerud says getting the first win is important to the M's.
wav: 105 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Lou Piniella pulled out all the stops in Game 1.
wav: 122 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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